August 11, 1893. 



SCIENCE. 



77 



extends for a short distance north of the Chuchill River, 

 where it appears to reach its northern limit. 



Tamarac [Larix Americana) is found growing on the low 

 wet land from the northern edge of the jDrairie region, 

 northward as far as Lake Athabasca, but its northern limit 

 has not yet been reached. 



Cedar [Thuya occideyitalis) has its general northwestern 

 limit east of Lake WinniiDeg, but an isolated colony occurs 

 on the high ridge between Winnipegosis and Cedar lakes, 

 two hundred miles distant from the general limit. No 

 trace of cedar could be found in the intermediate country. 



Eed Pine [Pinus resinom) also has its general north- 

 western limit some distance east of Lake Winnipeg, but 

 an outlying grove is said to occur on Black Island, a large 

 sandy island in the lake. Cones collected from trees on 

 this island,and undoubtedly belonging to this species, were 

 sent to the writer by Mr. A. Neison, of Badthroat River. 



Scrub Pine {Pinus banksiana) grows on the high stony 

 morainic hills on the northeastern portion of Duck Moun- 

 tain, and on the sandy ridges to the north. 

 , From here it extends northward and northwestward, 

 keeping north of the heavy white spruce forest. It is the 

 principal tree in the rocky and sandy region from the 

 Churchill River northward to Black River, where it grows 

 to a height of from twenty to forty feet, and to a diameter 

 of from eight to twelve inches. On the more level sandy 

 plains it here forms typical pine barrens, the trees being 

 thinly scattered over the surface, while the land beneath 

 them is quite devoid of undergrowth and there is little or 

 no fallen timber, so that the whole country has a park-like 

 aspect. On the rocky slopes it has taken root in the nich- 

 es and crevices, and is usually stunted and very irregular. 

 It extends north of Black River and Lake Athabasca, and 

 its northern limit has not yet been traced. 



animals. In short, the ancient Iberian may have afEected 

 Basque much in the same way that Celtic has affected Eng- 

 lish and French. It has introduced sundry phonetic ten- 

 dencies, and some loan words belonging to certain classes. 

 Hence we may still hold fast to the old conclusion that 

 the nearest affinities of Basque are with Accadian and 

 the languages of the Ural-Altaic type. 



THE AFFINITIES OF BASQUE AND BERGER. 



BY CANON ISAAC TAYLOR, M. A., LL. D., LITT. D., YOBK, ENGLAND. 



In the Transactions of the Berlin Academy for June, 

 1893, Professor Von der Gabelentz has published a pajaer 

 in which he endeavors to establish a connection between 

 Basque and the languages belonging to the Berber family 

 of speech, such as Kabyle and Tuareg. He admits that 

 the results of his comparison are small, the languages 

 differing in structure of speech, in gender, and in most of 

 the formatives. But he urges that they had certain anal- 

 ogous laws of phonetic change, and that there is a re- 

 semblance in a few culture words, mainly the names of 

 animals and of articles of dress. The paper is one of the 

 numerous examples of the way in which f)ure philologists 

 may be led astray by want of an adequate acquaintance 

 with anthroj)ology. The author bases his attempt on a re- 

 cent x^aper in Auslancl on the craniological resemblance 

 between the Berbers and the ancient Iberians. He then 

 assumes that Basque represents the ancient Iberian speech, 

 whereas Van Eys and Vinson, the two highest authorities, 

 consider that it is inqjossible to explain such remains as 

 we possess of the ancient Iberian by means of Basque. 

 Broca, moreover, has proved that while the skulls of the 

 SiDanish Basques resemble, to some extent, those of the 

 Iberians, the skulls of the French Basques belong to a 

 different tyf)e. It is now believed that the race to which 

 the French Basques belong imposed its language on the 

 Spanish Basques, a feebler people of the Iberian tjq^e. 

 If this is the case, the results obtained by Von der Gabel- 

 entz would be easj' of explanation. A conquered people 

 acquiring the language of their conquerors would retain 

 their own j)honetie tendencies, and at the same time would 

 incorporate into the accpiired language certain classes of 

 words such as those which agree in Basque and Iberian, 

 notably the names of articles of di'ess and of domesticated 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



.,j\,Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. Tlie 

 writer's name is in all cases required as a proof of good faith. 



On request in advance, one hundred copies of the number con- 

 taining his communication will be furnished free to any corres- 

 pondent. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with 

 the character of the journal. 



The So-called Sand of Great Salt Lake. 

 The white deposit which covers Garfield Beach and the 

 adjacent shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah, although common- 

 ly called sand, does not consist of true sand. An exami- 

 nation under a low magnifying power, such as that afforded 

 by a common pocket lens, shows that all the particles, or 

 grains composing this so-called sand are very smooth and 

 shiny, many being globular, others ovoid, and others 

 dumb-bell and club-like in form. None of them present 

 angular or irregular surfaces, and none have sharp edges 

 or points. When treated with hydrochloric or nitric acid 

 this oolitic "sand" rapidly dissolves with energetic effer- 

 vescence, leaving but tiny little sjjecks of silicious matter 

 behind, which latter form nuclei in the centre of the oolitic 

 grains. The solution thus obtained contains lime. A 

 very careful scrutiny under high microscopic powers shows 

 the most of each grain to consist of a white, fibrous or 

 somewhat crystallized mineral, with a central enclosed bit 

 of dark gray mineral, that which is left as silicious un- 

 dissolved matter after, the acid treatment aforesaid. In 

 fact I have found a few grains containing nuclei so large 

 that they could be readily seen by the unaided eye. It 

 appears, therefore, that each grain of this dej)osit is a 

 nodule or concretion, consisting of white crystalline cal- 

 cite, containing a minute bit of silica or silicious matter 

 as a central nucleus around which the calcite has collected. 

 Some months ago Professor Eompletz reported traces of 

 what he regarded as an alga in oolitic sand from the 

 shores of Great Salt Lake. But Dr. George Jennings 

 Hinde, P. G. S., of London, who has made recent exami- 

 nations of samj)les of this oolitic "sand," writes me that he 

 has not discovered any evidence of organic orgin in it. 

 In all other resjiects Dr. Hinde's observations seem to 

 agree with those made by me during the past year. 



Heney Montgomery. 



University of Utah, Salt Lake City, July 31. 



NATURE'S Rotation of Crops. 



An open sandy field which the writer has passed sev- 

 eral times a week, for the past ten years, has illustrated 

 well this fact. 



No record has been kept, but for the past five years, my 

 recollection is accurate, and for a longer jDeriod, I am sure 

 that the "crops" have been of the character stated, though 

 the order of succession may not be strictly correct. 



Seven or eight years ago there was a yield of (Enothera 

 biennis which was phenomenal. The following year there 

 was scarcely a plant of this species to be noticed, but a 

 fine crop of mullein succeeded. Daisies followed the inul- 

 leiu, the next year daisies and golden rod {S. nemoralis). 

 The year after the solidago took fuU possession and was 

 a most magnificent crop. The year following but little 

 golden rod could be seen, and very few daisies. Last 

 year was the most magnificent crop of Hypericum perfor- 

 atum I have ever seen. When in blossom, the field was 

 one mass of solid color; it seemed the petals must touch 



